March 2, 2005
Oscars Hit Rock Bottom
By Froma Harrop

Americans have lost all sense of occasion. They wear shorts to funerals and bring little children into nightclubs. They sit in fancy hotel lobbies and put their feet up on the furniture. And so it was on Oscar night, when host Chris Rock served up a helping of ghetto culture to a sparkling assembly in evening dress.

Rock is an edgy black comedian known to insert a profanity every third word. At the Academy Awards, he held back on the A-list of obscenities, but still offered some anatomical references not used in polite company. He also said mean things about actor Jude Law and reminded the attendees that most of black America doesn't give two figs about the movies they make.

Why was Rock even there? He was like the bride who hires a big hall, sends out engraved invitations, then walks down the aisle in bare feet -- just to pretend that she's not really bourgeois. Bad taste is no stranger at the Oscars, but there are still rules of the road. Part of the host's formal uniform is a bow tie: Rock should have been wearing one.

Ultimately, it was the Academy that inflicted Rock on the Oscars audience. So the Academy must take the rap for the hip-hop.
Vulgarity lite didn't work. Rock wasn't funny. And how unfunny he was could be seen in a film segment showing the late Johnny Carson as emcee of a past awards show. Carson was debonair and amazingly witty. He wore his tux with all the comfort of pajamas. It was cruel to give the audience a taste of the sublime Carson, then jerk it back into the cold reality of Chris Rock.

Making Rock host was supposedly about upping viewership. For years, the Academy Awards has been losing audience. Sunday's show was no exception. It did reasonably well among women, but lost ground with men. The Academy wanted Rock to infuse some irreverence into the show, liven it up. What he probably did was send traditional viewers fleeing to "Masterpiece Theatre."

To remind viewers why he was hired, Rock did some amusing interviews of black moviegoers at a nearby theater in Los Angeles. None of them had seen the Oscar-nominated movies. They preferred more black-oriented movies, like the Wayans brothers' "White Chicks."

Perhaps it's true that black and white Americans tend to live in different entertainment universes. But so what? That's why we have 100 channels of cable.

Chris Rock doesn't invite tenor Andrea Bocelli on his comedy show to attract older, musically conservative white people. That would confuse his core audience. Why should the Oscars risk their franchise to attract people who have zero interest in Jeremy Irons?

Rock's us-versus-them strategy wasn't quite fair to the many black artists who populated the Oscars stage -- or to blacks who do enjoy the big Hollywood movies. There was Jamie Foxx accepting the best actor award for "Ray." (Wouldn't a movie about Ray Charles appeal to black audiences?) Morgan Freeman won best supporting actor for his role in "Million Dollar Baby." There was Beyonce singing in French, and Halle Berry, queen of the "best dressed," handing out a statuette.

Like the barefoot bride, the Academy leaders have to decide whether they want to throw a fancy affair or not. If they don't want to walk the walk in white satin shoes, they should release the guests from their obligations. The female stars can come in jogging outfits. The men can wear golf shirts and jeans. And the folks at home can turn to "Deadwood" on HBO.

All this fuss over modernizing the Oscars may lead one to believe that the event is on its last legs. So it was surprising to learn that Sunday night's show drew an average audience of 41 million viewers. That gave it the highest ratings in the coveted 18-to-49 age group of any non-sporting event this year. Perhaps enough is never enough for Hollywood.

In the end, no amount of new packaging will help you sell lace napkins to a frat house. Either accept the tradition and honor it, or give it up. And don't forget the loyal viewers. There's nothing chaining them to the annual Academy Awards show: They, too, have 100 channels.

©2005 Providence Journal Co. Distributed by Creators Syndicate

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